Ornate box turtles moving forward over even terrain hold the plastron
a quarter to a half inch above the ground and keep the head and neck
lowered and extended. Each foreleg is brought forward and the humerus
points nearly straight ahead when the foot touches the ground. Nearly
all of the palmar surface is initially in contact with the ground but
as the body is brought forward and the humerus swings outward, only
the claws, and finally, only the two inner claws are in contact with
the ground. Of the hind feet, the medial surfaces are the principal
parts that touch the ground but some traction is derived from the hind
claws at the beginning of each cycle of the hind leg. Under normal
conditions, box turtles move slowly and pause to rest and examine
their surroundings every few feet. When resting, the plastron is in
contact with the ground, the legs relaxed, and the head and neck are
extended upward. Some turtles seeking shelter from the heat of
sunshine walk rapidly for a hundred feet or more without pausing.
Turtles seen feeding under natural conditions displayed remarkable
agility in making lunges, consisting of one or two short steps and a
thrust of the head, at moving objects. Turtles kept in my home were
able, after being conditioned to hand-feeding, quickly to intercept a
grape rolled slowly across a linoleum-covered floor.
Frederick R. Gehlbach told me that, of several species of captive
turtles observed by him, _T. ornata_ characteristically walked with
the plastron held well above the substrate, as did _Gopherus
berlandieri_, but that _T. carolina_ (specimens from the northeastern
U. S.) dragged their shells as they walked. Apparently _T. carolina_
in Kansas (currently referred to the subspecies _triunguis_) differs
somewhat in gait from populations in the eastern part of the range;
several individuals of _T. carolina_ from Kansas that I observed in
captivity, kept their plastra raised well above the smooth, hard
substrate over which they walked.
Box turtles at the Damm Farm were able easily to climb ravine banks
that sloped at an angle of 45 degrees and, with some difficulty, could
climb banks as steep as 65 degrees. Most individuals, however, were
reluctant to walk directly downward on banks as steep as 45 degrees.
Several individuals were seen to lose footing when climbing up or down
a steep bank and to roll or slide to the bottom. Ordinarily, _T.
ornata_ is able to climb over a sheer surface as high as its shell is
long, provided the surface is rough enough to give some traction to
the foreclaws. The claws of first one, then the other forefoot are
placed over the top of the barrier and then a hind foot, extended as
far forward as possible, secures a hold as the turtle goes over the
barrier.
A number of observations on speed were made in the field where
distance traveled and time elapsed were known approximately. Speeds
ranged from 20 to 100 feet per hour in the course of foraging. Higher
speeds (400 or more feet in one hour) were for turtles moving along
pathways or seeking shelter. Gould (1957:346) observed somewhat faster
speeds in _T. carolina_ (192 feet per hour in cloudy weather and 348
feet per hour in sunny weather); he observed individuals that had been
removed from their normal home ranges.
Individuals of _T. ornata_ that were placed in water swam moderately
well but were clumsy in comparison to individuals of more aquatic
emyids such as _Pseudemys_ and _Chrysemys_. Box turtles were never
observed to swim voluntarily, although they were frequently found in
shallow water. On several occasions I confronted individuals at the
edge of a pond so that the only unblocked route for their escape was
through deeper water; nearly always these individuals attempted to
crawl past me, to crawl away in shallow water parallel to the shore,
or to hide in soft mud at the edge of the water. Box turtles floated
high in the water with the dorsal side upward and had little
difficulty in righting themselves when turned over. The head and neck
are extended and submerged when the turtle is swimming; forward
progress is interrupted every few moments to elevate the head,
presumably for purposes of breathing and orientation. The shell is
never submerged. The swimming of _T. ornata_ is in general like that
of _Pseudemys_ or _Chrysemys_ that have become dehydrated after long
periods out of water and cannot submerge. These more aquatic turtles,
however, quickly overcome their bouyancy, whereas examples of _T.
ornata_, even if left in water for several days, are unable to
submerge. Clarke (1950) saw an ornate box turtle swim a 60-foot-wide
stream in Osage County, Kansas; his description of swimming agrees
with that given above.
The meager swimming ability of _T. ornata_ is of apparent survival
value under unusual conditions and enables _T. ornata_ to traverse
bodies of water that would act as geographic barriers to completely
terrestrial reptiles; however, swimming is a mode of locomotion seldom
used under ordinary circumstances.
Gehlbach (1956:366) and Norris and Zweifel (1950:2) observed
individuals of _T. o. luteola_ swimming in temporary rain pools and
small ponds in New Mexico; the two authors last named saw an
individual quickly enter a pond and dive beneath the water after being
startled on the bank. Several of my colleagues, in conversation, have
also reported seeing _T. o. luteola_ in small bodies of water in the
southwestern United States.